When the Phillies acquired Jay Bruce in early June of 2019, he was seen as nothing more than just a valuable bench option. But following Andrew McCutchen’s ACL injury a couple of days later, Bruce slid into left field and provided an immediate impact at the plate. While injuries cost him a hefty amount of games later in the season, he displayed in a small sample size of 51 games just how much of a power hitter he can still be. Overall for both the Phillies and Mariners, the 33-year-old recorded 26 home runs, a career-high .306 ISO and a hard-hit percentage of 43.3 percent.
Bruce seems like the all-odds favorite to secure the role of being the team’s primary DH. But he likely will not generate as many at-bats as projected due to his recent shortcomings against left-handed pitchers. The lefty hitter was much more favored to face off in duels against right-handed pitchers; he accumulated 20 of his 26 home runs and 239 of his 310 at-bats against righties.
Look for Girardi to also factor in pitch arsenals from opposing pitchers when formulating his daily lineups. Bruce is a hitter who excelled against fastballs with a .298 average and 13 home runs last season.
At this point in his career, Bruce’s production mirrors that of a prototypical designated hitter. While he can still rack up playing time in the outfield, the Phillies are much better off inserting him to be the main DH on the team.